Arrangement and disposition of fuel tanks in flying machines



Juny 1', 1924. 1.499,81?

A. H. G. FOKKER ARRANGEMENT nAND DISPOSITIONOF' FUEL TANKS IN FLYING MACHINES 'Filed Dec. '9. 1920 a case the l l A .cated inside. or'on the' supportlng. surfacesv Patented July l, 1924.

raras,

i maar? ANTHONY HERMAN GERARD roxkE'E., or s4 noxrnaiusrEEnAM, NETHERLANDS.

" AEEANGEMENT AND nr'srosrrIoN or FUEL TANKS rN Envrne MAcENEs.

-npplieatinmea necembepaiszop-serialN10. 429,55aff To aZ-Z who'mjt mayconcem: l v Beit knownthat I, ANTHONY GERARD FOKKER, a snbiect ofthe Queen of..

theA Netherlands, residingv at`84 Rokin, Amsterdam, Netherlands, have invented certain ...new l and useful Improvements the Ari-.s rangement and Disposition of Fuel T in Flying Machines=(for`which I .haveed nks .application in Germany, No. F44024, filed Dec. 23rd, 1918)., of which the followingl is In many types of flying"l machine been found undesirable or unpracticable to -locate the fuel tankor tanks insideithe body or fuselage for various. reasons. these reasons 'ijs the lack Vof suiiicient 'space to accommodate the required. quantity 'of fuel in a suitable part of. he body,.owing to the use of such space forthe accommodation lof freight' or other loads; in such Passengers,

fuel tanks have often been lof oriwin'gs of the iiying machine. A.jfurth'er objectmlocating the fuel tanks in another part ofthe flying machine .than thefbo'dy which carries the engine. andthe. lot, pas;

sengers and other; loads, cryin t .9 case of lyingmachineswithmore than one engine,

in a part removed from 'the' mountings or auxiliary. bodies which carry'the engines, is. V the diminution of the possibilit of the fuel` in :thetanks being set. on lire y the back-1. Y firing ofthe .engineer other=causes. v

. 11i-fthe flying machines used in war there is `a 'eat danger attached tothe location of theel tanks inside theizbody in'that the said tanksare often set on tire by being hit by bullets, after whichA the flames cause 'the v pilotof the flyingA machine tov lose control. It is obvious that it'is therefore desirable to locateithe fuel tanks on a dying machine in such a position that, in the event ofthe fuel being set-on lire by any cause, the' dames to which would cause the 4flying machine. .to

fall lto earth without allowing ofa gliding-v descent under normal control..

'cannot reach the pilot or any part of the iiying'machine, the'destruction. of or damage sion membersrunningfparallel to it, and. to

HERMAN Among ftank'andaxle. u l

The tank shell Lis'suitably shaped vto. re'

osition for vthe providefu'el' tanks of such shape and conl movement. of the axle.- due to its flexible-.con-

nection to the underrzarriagev membersand are -not "affected by -such.movement ofthe axle.A v j 'Furthermorathe tank may be so shaped and. mounted in the undercarriage as to form in itself the fairing of theA axle and I 'crossmembers of the .undercarria e, vand the .fairing containing the tank or jt e tank 1tself may be of such cross section that it also acts as an additional 'supporting surface for the flying machine duringv Hight.-

Ifsuch a tank, located as descrlbed, is seton irefrom` any causey during flight, .the for- Wardspeed of the'iying' machine causes the lames'andburnng vfue escaping from the 'tank to be'direc'ted backwards, .clear of the 'other parts of the machine, until the fuel has been consumed. The structural damage caused will. thereby-'be limited to the undercarriage'and a safe glide `to the ground may .bemadelv I f .-f p

-The location. of the tank in the' position described furtherv has the advantage that lowing tol its'proximity to thel ground it may be very easily and quickly, filled and' it may also be so constructed as to'be readily re.-

moved and replaced when damaged.

The accompanying. drawings -show av prelferred form of my invention.

l Figure 1 shows in outline a flying machine undercarriage with fuel tank a. d Figure .2 is.a -.crosspsection'through the ceivethe box shaped under-carnage cross dercarria'gefmembers'c andf surrounds. the Wheel-axle: d, This axle 1s free to move relative tothe tanka and the box member b so as to permit vvfgthe usual resilient sup- `Eorting devices being interposed between the odyand axle;l The .tank maybe enclosed in a covering e of metal, wood, leather or the like as a meansv ofqplotection ,against local damage.

' etank may alsobe divided into a number of separate tanks, which may be either connected with each other or be entirely separate and have separate pipes for feeding .the carburetors, thus allowingone or more tanks to be used simultaneously whilev the others are kept in reserve.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred form of my invention, I would have it understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of elements Without departing from the spirit of my invention, and Within the Scope of the appended claims.

Wha-t l claim is:

l. In a flying machine, an undercarriage axle, a fuel tank receiving the undercarriage axle and means for allowing movement of the said axle independently of the fuel tank.

2. In a flying machine, the combination of a fuel tank, a box section undercarriage cross member traversing the fuel tank and an undercarriage axle passing through the. said cross member.

3. In a flying machine, a fuel tank, a box-` like cross member traversing the fuel tank, undercarriage struts connected With the cross member, and an undercarriage axle passing through said cross member.

4. 1n a flying machine, a fuel tank, a boxlike cross member traversing the fuel tank, undercarriage struts connected with the cross member, and an undercarriage axle passing 'through said cross member and movable independently thereof. y

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence vof two Witnesses` ANTHONY HERMAN GERARD FOKKEIR.

l/Vitnesses:

W. HoR'rER, H. NIEMERHUIS. 

